(un)balanced by Jakub Klimiuk Quintet

The album tells the story of seeking balance in today's reality, manoeuvring through the overwhelming deluge of information and striving to discover inspiration in everyday routine.
Jakub’s writing reflects the titular state between order and chaos. The pieces blend harmony with disorder, dissonance with consonance, free improvisation with structured forms. In line with the counterbalance implied by the title, the compositions combine challenging structures and rhythmic intricacies with melodic themes. Drawing inspiration from contrasting influences ranging from traditional jazz to the Scandinavian improvised scene and contemporary New York jazz, the musicians create a sound full of exciting tension.
The pieces are linked by a series of solo and duet improvised studies, which bring the listener closer to the personal experiences and styles of each instrumentalist. These musical expressions can be perceived as intros and outros to the tracks, enhancing the relationship between musicians’ distinct individual voices and Jakub’s compositions. Studies serve as a reflection on human instincts, emotions, and intentions.

Jakub Klimiuk Quintet combines modern jazz with influences from Scandinavian improvised music, Eastern European folk and contemporary classical pieces. The resultant repertoire, consisting of original compositions, is a highly energetic mix of scripted forms and free improvisation, drawing from various genres but at the same time staying deeply rooted in the jazz tradition.